Recovery

"Ugh… what the heck happened?" These were the first words that came out of my mouth, and it sounded a little hoarse.

Slowly sitting up, I felt my body creak a little as I stretched a bit. My body was sort of numb and stiff, and I could feel that I was still pretty much weak. As soon as my vision became clear, I realized that I wasn't in my room in the clubhouse. "Where the hell am I?"

This place wasn't the dorm. This place isn't the tree house nor the clubhouse either. I don't remember going to MAMAMOO's Den. This place was unfamiliar to me yet familiar at the same time. The room was white. The sheets were white. There was a couch beside the bed next to an oxygen tank. There was an IV attached to my hand.

Now I get it…

The room burst open as a worried Dominic went inside with his doctor's coat together with Mina and Momo behind him. "I heard the movement sensor went off. So you're finally awake."

I massaged my nape as I was still trying to recover from the bed sore. "What happened? What am I doing in the hospital?"

He flicked my forehead. "You didn't come home after the event and you ALSO didn't inform us about your whereabouts. So on the third day of you being MIA, I asked Zee-ya to track your phone. We found you unconscious in the 95 line's recording studio floor."

I sighed. "I must've overworked myself again."

"'Must have'? Try 'did'. You're stress levels were really high according to your lab tests. Your body suddenly collapsed on its own. When we found you, you were having a very high fever and were unresponsive to stimuli at that. We were freaking worried about you!" He nagged. I could tell that he was seriously concerned for me.

"I'm sorry." was all I could say. I didn't know what to say at this point. It was totally my fault this time.

Dominic pinched the bridge of his nose as he sighed. "I knew you'd be like this. You're fine NOW. But I'm still running some tests on you today just to make sure. So don't you think about leaving the hospital."

My mouth fell open as I tried to rebut. "But…"

"No buts!" He yelled which made the two girls flinch.

At this point, I was pretty much helpless. "Alright. So… did you at least save the file that I was working on when you found me yesterday?"

He raised an eyebrow at me. "You think we found you yesterday? And what? That's what you're more concerned about?" He sighed after asking all those questions while shaking his head. "Don't worry Zee-ya made sure to save it."

"Wait, wait, wait. What do you mean 'I think'?" I chose to ignore his comment about Zee and focused on the question.

"JayB-ya… we found you two days ago. You just woke up from a short-term coma." He replied calmly.

I was shocked with what he just said but I quickly recovered as I chuckled. "Well… that explains the body sore."

"Is this a joke to you? You think this is funny?" Momo finally spoke up. It was my first time seeing her angry. I couldn't even say anything as tears were slowly filling her eyes. She then continued to speak. "Oppa! We thought you were dead! It scared the hell out of us!"

I slowly opened my mouth to speak. "Momo-ya…"

"Don't you 'Momo-ya' me! Don't you dare use your charm against me! Do you know how we felt? What were you thinking?!" Momo was crying as she yelled and lectured me. It actually broke my heart to see her like that. But I had to do what I did.

"I'm sorry, Momo-ring. It was foolish of me to neglect myself." I tried to calm her down.

"Why? You should have just come with us to the after party. Why did you have to lock yourself alone and overwork?" She wanted an explanation from me.

I sighed. "I just wanted to give Alpha and Twice the best songs that I can give."

She scoffed. It was clear that she wasn't satisfied with my answer. "You think that THOSE songs are more important than YOUR life?"

I shook my head. "You got it wrong."

"What do you mean I got it wrong?" She asked.

"It's not that I don't value my life. I just think that you guys are more important than my own happiness." I responded.

She laughed sarcastically. "There you go again! Acting all righteous! Why are we even friends? You don't even trust us enough to carry the burden with you! Care about OUR happiness he says! What do you know about our happiness?! You think we'll be happy seeing you like this?! Or WORSE seeing you dead?! You know what? Screw you! I'm out!"

Suddenly, Sana and Jeong Do went inside just as she was about to storm out. Jeong Do then spoke, "I just called the company to inform them of JayB… what the hell's going on?"

"Ask Mr. Self-righteous over there cause I'm not talking to him." She stormed out of the room as soon as she finished saying that. Sana took one look at me before running after her.

"What was that all about?" Jeong Do asked as he approached us.

Mina then smirked. "JayB-oppa was being a jerk."

I sighed. "Sure… gang up on the patient, will you?"

"Well, whatever. I just called the company to inform them of your status." As soon as he said that. He gave me punch on the arm. Since I was still pretty much weak, I could feel the pain ten times over. Dominic just gave me a smirk while everyone else did the same as they didn't stop him. Including my beloved doctor, Dominic.

"WHAT THE HECK WAS THAT FOR?!" I yelled as I rubbed my arm to sooth the pain.

"That's for scaring us to death. And this…" He then gave me another punch. "That's for being a jerk to Momo-ya."

"Fine! Fine! I'm a jerk. Happy? Now can this jerk rest already. I'm still feeling a little bit weak." I responded in a sarcastic tone.

Dominic chuckled. "That's because I gave you a dose of Valium to relax your muscles since you had a seizure two days ago."

"I did? I guess I really did overwork myself." I told them.

"The next time you do. I'll leave you to die. Now get some rest. I'll come back later on to run some tests. Dahyun-ie's in charge of taking care of you today. She's still in her schedule and will be here later." Dominic said as he guided Mina and Jeong Do towards the door.

"By the way… did I hear it right? I was here for two days now?" I asked.

Jeong Do turned to me. "That's right. Why?"

"So… if I'm correct, today is…" I trailed off.

Mina smiled at me. "That's right. Today's Christmas."

Dominic smiled at me. "Merry Christmas, JayB-ya."

__________

"Oppa… are you okay? How are you feeling?" Jennie asked.

I turned to see the rest of the Blackpink members enter the room. Matt-hyung was also with them. A lot of people visited me today. I think the company must have announced that I was sick. I couldn't check since Dominic took my phone to stop me from working.

"Oh? Jennie-ya! What are you guys doing here? Didn't you have a schedule today?" I was shocked to see them here since they were busy preparing for KBS Song Festival in a few days.

Jisoo stood beside me and glared at me while crossing her arms. "We were worried about you and you're acting like you don't want to see us."

I smiled wryly at her comment. "Sorry. I was just surprised to see you guys here. I heard that you're performing on KBS Song Festival."

"We're performing BOOMBAYAH. We were preparing for it since we know that you were coming to see us perform for the first time. But I guess that's not possible anymore." Rose sighed.

"What are you talking about? I'm going to check out soon." I told her happily.

"No, you're not. Not on my watch." Dominic entered the room as the rest of the Blackpink members bowed and were confused as to what Dominic was doing here wearing a doctor's coat at that.

"I'll explain later." Matt-hyung whispered to them.

I greeted Dominic before asking him about my results. "Is there something wrong with me?"

"You're extremely fatigued. Because of that, you're body is trying it's best to compensate it. But since you're not eating well enough, you're immune system became weaker hence it was compensating by eating up what was left of the sugar and fats inside your body." He explained.

His sudden announcement made me sigh. "That explains why I'm becoming even thinner."

Dominic patted my shoulder. "I can allow you to check out of the hospital BUT you have to rest for a couple of days. That means sleeping on time and eating right. Got it? I've asked our dietitian to give you a new diet plan. Also, I'm giving you medicine to help you become stronger. Otherwise, the next time you collapse, you probably won't wake up. You understand?"

I nodded before asking. "Can I go to the song festival though?"

Dominic smiled. "I'll allow it. But NO after parties. You hear me?"

"Yes, sir. You're the boss." I replied excitedly.

"You heard that ladies? This means he'll be able to see you guys." Matt-hyung said.

We continued chatting like that as we also needed to catch up on some things. Matt-hyung also explained Dominic's presence in this hospital. In the end, they also apologized for causing me to overwork. It's not their fault actually. It's my fault because I took on the weight without properly assessing the situation and it took a toll on my body.

They soon left for their schedules and I was left with Mina since Dahyun said she couldn't make it. Dominic was making his rounds while he was here. There were a lot of people who were seeking his presence in this hospital. He was quite sought after in this business after all.

There were many who visited me today. Blackpink was just one of them. Seventeen, BTOB, Red Velvet, MAMAMOO, IOI and Dreamcatcher went over to visit. The others called me up through Dominic's phone. The hospital was actually noisy because of us. Good thing I was staying in the VVIP section of the hospital. Otherwise, Dominic would have scolded us so much to the point of probably kicking us out.

"Where are your members? Aren't they coming to visit? And I thought Dahyun-ie was the one who's supposed to come and take care of me?" I asked Mina who was watching a video on her phone.

She paused her video and turned to look at me with a serious expression on her face. "Sana-ya is trying to calm Momo-ring down because of the incident this morning. Jeongyeon-ie, Jihyo-ya and Nayeon-unnie are still pretty much mad at you so they don't want to see you right now. The maknae line are preparing for their coming of age stage in the song festival that's why Dahyun-ie can't make it."

"How about you? Are you… still mad at me?" I asked shyly.

She sighed as she put down her phone and stood beside my bed. "I'm not mad. I'm just disappointed."

I looked at her in confusion. "Why?"

She sat on the stool beside my bed and held my hand. "You might know it. But we really REALLY care about you. A year ago, you chose to fight without asking for our help. Now, you're doing the same thing all over again. It's like we're not fit to stand beside you and fight the battle with you."

"I just don't want you guys to get hurt." I responded.

"And you think WE want to see you get hurt? Do you think it was great seeing you lifeless on the floor?" Mina asked almost in tears. I could not respond to her question. She's right. I've never thought of what might happen to them if something DID happen to me. Because I was thinking more of myself and the position that I have more than our friendship.

"I'm sorry. I promise. I'll take care of myself more. I'll also ask for help from now on." I sincerely told her.

She shook her head. "Promise us that you'll be more honest with yourself."

"Us?" I asked.

"She means us, stupid." Dahyun was leaning on the door as the rest of Twice were behind her. They slowly approached me and as they were doing so, I didn't know what to say to them.

"We're sorry." Jihyo blurted out.

"Huh? Shouldn't I be the one who should be apologizing to you guys?" I asked them.

They laughed as Jeongyeon placed a pot of flowers on my bedside. "Before you say anything, we just wanted to apologize for pressuring you with our songs. We just got used to having you do all of these things for us that we failed to realize that even though you're a prodigy, you're also human."

"I'm sorry for yelling at you this morning." Momo said.

I teared up a little. "You guys… You don't need to apologize. I'm the one who should be sorry. I'll be more honest with myself. I promise."

The atmosphere was lively now as we made up. Dahyun was still somehow avoiding my eyes but that's okay. At least Nayeon and Jihyo forgave me for being inconsiderate. Nayeon then started approaching me as she placed her hand on mine. "JayB-ya… I just want to remind you this. If ever something happens to you, we won't be losing a producer, or an idol, or a label mate. We'll be losing an important friend, so don't you forget that."

Her words softened my heart as I gave her a smile. We understood that this incident has only made our bonds stronger. It also made me realize the value of trusting others and of course the value of rest. Even if we barely had any, it was still important to do so.

We all happily chatted for a while as they handed me a hand-made scarf as a Christmas gift. They still feel bad about seeing me spend my Christmas here in the hospital. It was thoughtful of them to give me this. I really appreciated the gesture.

A phone then rang. Dahyun turned to see the caller ID. She smiled widely as she blushed. She then turned to us. "I need to take this one."

What was that?

She went out of the room to take the call. Jihyo turned to me after watching her member go out of the room. "We should go too. We still need to work on our choreography for our comeback. Of course, when you come back, we still need to record the rest of the songs for the album."

"I'm looking forward to it." I replied.

Sana planted a kiss on my forehead. "Merry Christmas, oppa. Rest well."

I patted her cheeks as bid them goodbye. They were spending their Christmas in the dorm with their members but I'm stuck here 'til tomorrow because I have to heal up.

"Well… Merry Christmas to me then." I muttered.

"Awwe. You don't have to be sad about it, JayB-ya." A voice coming from the doorway interrupted my thoughts.

I smiled at him. "And what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be spending time with Mina-ri, Domi-ya?"

"I will. I just needed to give this to you first." He handed me my phone back. "I figured that since most of our members will be out for Christmas, you'd be bored to death."

"Gee. Thanks." I sarcastically said.

He chuckled as he ruffled my hair. "I'd love to stay and keep watch, but you're a big boy now."

"Whatever." I replied as I fixed my hair.

"Now if you excuse me. I have a date with the prettiest girl in the world." He said as he headed towards the door.

"Don't forget to use protection!" I yelled as he opened the door.

"Ya! Shut up!" Dominic fought back.

His response made me chuckle. I turned my phone on to see that it had a bunch of missed calls and unread messages. The first half was from people who were asking for my whereabouts days ago. The rest were either a bunch of "get well soon" messages or Christmas greetings. I read the greetings and saw that SHE actually greeted me today. My lips curled up into a smile. I could see that she was actually worried about me.

After going through the messages, I went to see my call log. It was pretty much similar with my messages. One particular caller intrigued me. It was coming from PD-nim and was dated today.

"Sheesh. 27 missed calls from him today? What does he want?" without hesitating I called his number up and after a few rings, he answered back.

"Ahh! JayB-ya! I was trying to reach you the entire day! Merry Christmas!" He answered.

It made me smile a little. I'm actually kind of glad that there's another person who greeted me today.

"Merry Christmas, samcheon. I'm sorry that I wasn't able to pick-up. Domi-ya was pretty strict with my phone handling today."

His laughter boomed over the other end of the line. "Well, he probably knows that you're going straight back to work if you had it."

I chuckled. "Well he's right about that. I would have called our manager and have him check me out from the hospital."

"I would probably stop him from doing that though." PD-nim laughed.

"Anyway, samcheon… I mean PD-nim. I called because I was wondering about why you left so many voicemails and missed calls for today." I went straight to the point.

"Oh right. I was trying to reach you because someone called me up today to deliver you some good news." He replied.

I raised an eyebrow. "Really? What's it about? Is it Alpha-related? Are we getting another brand sponsor?"

PD-nim laughed again as he tried to stop me from talking too much. "Relax. Will you? Anyway, it's a huge gig. And it's only for you."

"For me?" I was surprised with his announcement. "It's not something related about going to a faraway island, is it?" I grimaced at the thought of it.

He chuckled at my comment. "It's not. Don't worry. I'm pretty sure you're going to love this one."

"So what is it? I'm dying out of curiosity here." I hurried him.

I could feel his excitement over the line as he said, "You're going on a dating show. Congratulations, JayB-ya. You're finally getting married soon."

___________